Rolling massager for increasing blood circulation



April 22, 1952 CASH 2,593,982

ROLLING MASSAGER FOR INCREASING BLOOD CIRCULATION Filed May 21, 1949 v l I fur/E271 or E? gzaadgpez wcaazz Ya L z H11 5 Patented Apr. 22, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROLLING 'MASSAGER FOR INCREASING BLOOD CIRCULATION 8 Claims. 1

be obtained to a certain degree by massaging the affected portions of the body to free the restricted flow and actually stimulate blood circulation.

An analysis of such massaging operation, however, reveals that one part of the operation is predominantly effective in stimulating blood activity. For example, considering the operation in detail, it is found that the massaging operation is fundamentally composed of both a stroking frictional action and a pressure impulse or kneading action. As far as stimulation of blood circulation is concerned, the latter action is the most important part of the massaging operation, while the stroking action merely serves the purpose of transferring the pressure impulse over the portion of the body being massaged. The transfer of such pressure forces also is accompanied by an inherent friction action which, in many instances, is highly undesirable, such as when the area being massaged is covered by delicate skin. In still other cases it will be found that the stroking action actually hinders the free flow of blood since it is merely effective in transferring the pressure impulse over individual lines of action on the body and the free flow of blood may be cut off between portions of the body divided by such lines. Thus, in performing massaging operations, part of the actions which take place are unnecessary and may actually be a hindrance as far as restoration of blood circulation is concerned.

It is therefore a particular object of the present invention to provide a highly effective means for stimulating the circulation of blood in portions of the human body by creating a kneading action over an area of the body unaccompanied by unnecessary or injurious actions on the body portion being treated.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel device capable of efficiently establishing blood circulation in parts of a living body, such device having sufficient flexibility of operation that it may be utilized either while placed in a stationary position or may be picked up for manipulation in a moving relation over the body.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel blood circulator for the human body which provides a kneading action on the body Without a rubbing action being effected.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a. novel means for stimulating blood activity in portions of the body by imparting a plurality of pressure impulses simultaneously to the body portions by establishing individual stroking movements between said means and the body portions being operated on.

The novel features which I believe to be characteristic of my invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. My inven tion, however, as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by a reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a blood circulating device embodying the principles of my invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the device of Figure 1 with a portion of one side removed;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the part of the. device as taken on line III-III of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a side View of an eccentric axis type roller used in my invention; and

- Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken across the width of the device showing the manner in which a portion of the body contacted thereby is acted upon.

As shown on the drawing:

Referring to the drawing in greater detail, Figure 1 illustrates my blood circulator which in general comprises a plurality of rollers Hi and H aligned adjacent each other and in series on a plurality of spaced parallel shafts l2 mounted between a pair of longitudinal plates I3. The device is somewhat longer and wider than the length and width of an average human foot to fully accommodate the foot. Although the device lends itself particularly to stimulation of blood circulation in the foot, it is not especially limited thereto since it could be used on such other portions as the arms, legs or the trunk of the body.

The twe side plates it are disposed parallel to each other on edge so that the plurality of shafts l2 m-aybe-meunted between them in parallel relation across the width of the device and in series along its length. Each of the shafts i2 is provided with end portions of reduced diameter which project snugly through holes provided for them in each of the side plates E3. The shafts are each secured to the end plates by upsetting one of the reduced diameter projecting ends over the outer surface of the plate around the hole through which it projects. The other end of each of the shafts is threaded so that it can be securely held in place by means of a washer l4 and a nut l threadably secured thereto in flush relation to the side plate.

Each of the shafts l2 has disposed along its length a plurality of the rollers l0 and Il mounted independently of each other for free rotation thereon. The rollers are of two types, one type I0 being provided with a hole directly through its center for mounting on an axis concentric with its outer peripheral surfaces. The ends of this roller are of reduced diameter so that the peripheral surface of the central portion projects above the end portions. The central portion takes up approximately one-third the length of the roller. Alternately disposed between this type of roller is the other type II which has a width relatively smaller than that of the first type, its width being approximately equal to the width of the projecting portion of the first type of roller l0. Instead of being provided with a hole for mounting on a concentric axis, however, the second type of roller H is provided with a hole extending across its width but eccentrically disposed with respect to the center thereof as shown in Figure 4.

Thus, when a plurality of rollers of the two different types ll! and II are alternately placed along the length of each of the shafts, the roller surfaces in eifect present alternately grooved and projecting sections. Since alternate projecting portions belong to different types of rolls, they rotate about concentric and eccentric axes respectively. Also, since each of the projecting portions have substantially the same diameter, the portions associated with the eccentrically mounted rollers ll have parts of their outermost periphery extending further away from their respective axes than do the peripheral portions of the concentrically mounted rollers l0. Correspondingly, other portions of the eccentrically mounted rollers l I extend away a lesser distance from the axes than do the peripheral portions of the concentrically mounted rollers Ill. The concentrically mounted rollers in are so arranged that one of them is at the ends of each of the shafts l2 with the eccentrically mounted rollers ll being disposed alternately between them. This arrangement is preferred in order that the body part being treated will not be pushed into the sides of the plates [3 as might be the case if the eccentrically mounted rollers were disposed at the end of the shaft. In the embodiment shown in the drawing, rollers of similar type are disposed adjacent each other in rows one behind the other on the parallelly disposed shafts. It is to be understood, however, that my invention is not necessarily limited to such an arrangement since the rollers might be arranged so that alternately different types might be placed in series on such shafts without greatly changing the characteristic operation of the device.

It will be noted that a group of the shafts at the center of the length of the device are mounted slightly above those at each end of the device. This is done in order to make the rollers along the length of the device conform more readily to the instep portion of a human foot, as well V will securely hold the ends together.

as other portions of the human body which otherwise would not be readily accessible or conformable to rollers-disposed in a single plane.

In order to make the device more readily usable in stationary positions, frictional support members I! are provided at points distributed along the length of each of the side plates l3 and along the edges of the plates on one side of the circulator. Thus, when the circulator is placed on a smooth level surface, the support members l1 provide sufficient frictional engaging relation with the surface to prevent slippage of the device as force is applied thereto as a part of the body, such as a foot, is moved back and forth over the circulator. Each of the frictional supports ll is merely a band of material having a high coefficient of friction, such as rubber, which is wound into a single turn through a slot H3 in the side of the plate i3 upon which it is fastened and over the edge of the plate on which the frictional support surface is to be disposed. The ends of the supports ll may be fastened by merely stapling them in overlapped relation as with a staple member 19 or by any other suitable means which It is preferred that the bands be of flexible material such as rubber so that when the ends are fastened the operation may be performed when the ends are disposed in a position outside of the slots. When the fastening operation'is completed, the secured ends may then readily be moved into theposition shown in Figure 3, with the securing means is disposed in protected position within the slot is. With such an arrangement of support members along the length of the circulator, no consideration need be given to the possibility of interference with utilization of the device in manual operations where the circulator might be picked up and stroked back and forth over portions of the body other than the foot and will not interfere with operation of the device regardless of which side makes contact with the body.

Figure 5 illustrates the manner in which the rollers of the device act upon the bottom of a human foot to kneed the foot as it is reciprocated over the rollers. It will be noted that alternate portions of the surface contacted by the circular roller are pushed different distances inwardly and it will be readily realized that as the contacted body portion is moved over the length of the device that the rolling action of the eccentric rollers have continually changing effects in imparting forces to the contacted surface. By reason of the spacing between projections of the rollers and the changing force effects of alternate projections along the length of each of the shafts, an action is imparted to the contacted surface similar to that imparted to the foot of a person walking on a pebbled beach. Thus, the action imparted to the contacted surface might be termed a pebble action. It can be readily realized that such an action is in effect the application of a plurality of pressure impulses on the surface without frictional action being exerted on the surface. By reason of the fact that alternate portions of the contacted surface are pushed varying amounts inward and the fact that such distances vary continually with the contacted surface or portion of the body moved over the device, the action is in effect a kneading of the surface.

Although I have shown a particular embodiment of my invention, it will, of course, be understood that I do not wish to be limited thereto, since many modifications may be made, and I,

therefore, contemplate by the appended claims to cover all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A device for manual stimulation of blood circulation in portions of a living body comprising a frame, a plurality of shafts carried by said frame, and a plurality of rollers mounted in axial alignment, alternate rollers on each of said shafts having end portions of reduced diameter, and the other rollers on each shaft having eccentric axes whereby movement of a body surface over said rollers will cause the peripheral surfaces of said eccentrically mounted rollers to change in level with respect to the peripheral surfaces of said alternate rollers to thereby knead the body surface.

2. A device for stimulation of blood circulation in living bodies comprising a pair of longitudinal side plates, a plurality of shafts mounted between said side plates in side by side horizontal alignment, and a plurality of body contacting rollers mounted for free rotation on each of said shafts, alternate rollers between the end rollers on each of said shafts having eccentric axes, and the other rollers including said end rollers having concentric axes.

3. A device for stimulation of blood circulation in living bodies comprising a pair of longitudinal side plates, a plurality of shafts mounted between said side plates in side by side horizontal alignment, and a plurality of body contacting rollers mounted for free rotation on each of said shafts, alternate rollers between the end rollers on each of said shafts being mounted eccentrically, the other rollers being concentrically mounted, and said other rollers having end portions of reduced diameter.

4. A device for stimulation of blood circulation in living bodies comprising a pair of longitudinal side plates, a plurality of shafts mounted between said side plates in side by side horizontal alignment, and a plurality of body contacting rollers mounted for free rotation on each of said shafts, said shafts being mounted on levels conforming to the general contour of the surfaces to be contacted by said rollers, alternate rollers between the end rollers on each of said shafts being mounted eccentrically, the other rollers being concentrically mounted, and said other rollers having end portions of reduced diameter.

5. A device for stimulation of blood circulation in living bodies comprising a pair of longitudinal side plates, a plurality of shafts mounted between said side plates in side by side horizontal alignment, and a plurality of surface contacting rollers mounted for free rotation on each of said shafts, alternate rollers between the end rollers on each of said shafts being mounted eccentrically, the other rollers being concentrically mounted and have length dimensions substantially three times the length of said eccentrically mounted rollers, and said other rollers each having end portions of reduced diameter and a central portion of diameter and width equal in size to said eccentrically mounted rollers.

6. A device for stimulation of blood circulation in living bodies comprising a pair of longitudinal side plates, a plurality of shafts mounted between said side plates in side by side horizontal alignment, and a plurality of surface contacting rollers mounted for free rotation immediately adjacent each other on each of said shafts, said shafts being mounted on levels conforming to the general contour of the body surface to be contacted by said rollers, alternate rollers between the end rollers on each of said shafts being mounted eccentrically, the other rollers each being concentrically mounted and having length dimensions substantially three times the length of said eccentripally mounted rollers, said other rollers having end portions of reduced diameter and a central portion of length and diameter equal to the corresponding dimensions in said eccentrically mounted rollers, whereby movement of contacted body surfaces across said device results in the contacted portions on said eccentrically mounted rollers continually changing in level With respect to contacted portions on said concentrically mounted rollers.

7. A device for stimulation of blood circulation in living bodies comprising a pair of longitudinal side plates, a plurality of shafts mounted between said side plates in side by side horizontal alignment, a plurality of body contacting rollers mounted for free rotation on each of said shafts, alternate rollers between the end rollers on each of said shafts being mounted eccentrically, the other rollers being concentrically mounted, said other rollers having end portions of reduced diameter, and support members of material having a high coefficient of friction along an edge of each of said side plates to prevent sliding movement of said device when used in a stationary position.

8. A foot exerciser and stimulator comprising a frame, a plurality of rows of rollers carried by said frame, and a plurality of individual rollers in each row, and adjacent individual rollers in each row having concentric and eccentric contact peripheries to knead the bottom of a foot reciprocated thereon.

CLAUDE DENIS CASH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,345,096 Mount June 29, 1920 1,569,426 Krauthoif Jan. 12, 1926 1,572,794 Hamilton Feb. 9, 1926 1,748,425 Odell Feb. 25, 1930 1,757,004 Chapin May 6, 1930 1,776,806 Carlson Sept. 30, 1930 

